18 million people at risk of hunger in Sahel - EU

"The European Union on Monday made another 40 million euros (51 million dollars) in humanitarian aid available to West Africa's Sahel region, warning that 18 million people are at risk of hunger as a food crisis in the area reaches its peak.

The extra funds, which bring to 337 million euros the amount that the EU has given to counter the crisis, will be used to feed children and distribute food to those most in need, according to the EU's executive, the European Commission.

But several aid groups argued that more than 900 million dollars in new donations are needed to effectively tackle the crisis.

'Families need help urgently, their lives hanging dangerously in the balance as donors are moving far too slowly to respond. This crisis is fast becoming one of the hardest to fund in decades,' Jasmine Whitbread of Save the Children said, pleading for more help along with Oxfam, World Vision and Action Against Hunger."